I am so depressed about the wildfire raging around Southern California currently. There’s the Apache fire in San Jacinto, which apparently was caused by a lit cigarette. Earlier in the week, the mountains above Sierra Madre started burning. Ugh. I took the above photo last year, when Angeles Forest was still lush. I know that wildfires are a natural process and are key to the forests renewing themselves, but it sucks when the fires are started by careless humans, which they often are.

The fires, combined with the ridiculous gas prices in the city, will make it pretty tough to do any hiking or camping this weekend. At least I have some new lawn chairs so I can enjoy the greenery in my backyard. It’s not the same as a nice long hike, but I guess it will have to do.

Here’s a refresher on outdoor fire safety:

• Smokey Bear gives a great fire safety checklist
• Tips from American Red Cross
• Wildfire prevention from FEMA
• Earthquake Fire Safety from US Fire Administration